(a) All employees of city and county boards of education and special schools under the direct control of the State Board of Education now covered in the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama under the provisions of Section 36-27-6 who would have been eligible for coverage in the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama under the provisions of Section 16-25-9 except for being covered in the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama, may be enrolled and transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama by their employer with all credits as have been established in the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama.
(b) Upon enrollment and transfer to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama, such employee shall be deemed to be a "teacher" under the teachers' retirement law and shall make contributions as all other teachers and shall receive benefits as all other teachers who enroll under the provisions of Section 16-25-9.
(c) The accumulated contributions of each such employee under the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama shall be transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama and credited to the employee's individual account in the Annuity Savings Fund under that system. As soon as practicable after the transfer of such employees, an actuarial valuation of the assets and liabilities under the Employees' Retirement System on account of each employer of such employees shall be made. On the basis of said valuation, the actuary shall allocate the present assets of the Employees' Retirement System attributable to each such employer, exclusive of the member's accumulated contributions, as follows:
(1) An amount shall be allocated equal to the reserve required for retired employees and beneficiaries of deceased employees of the employer.
(2) Any remaining assets shall be allocated actuarially between the employees who shall have transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System and the employees, if any, who remain as members under the Employees' Retirement System.
The amount of assets allocated in subdivision (2) of this subsection to the members who shall have transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System shall be transferred to that system and credited to the pension accumulation fund of that system. If the employer will continue to participate in the Employees' Retirement System under Section 36-27-6 the actuary shall redetermine the accrued liability contribution rate payable by the employer on the basis of the remaining membership. If the employer will not continue to participate in the Employees' Retirement System and the assets available for the allocation in subdivision (1) of this subsection are insufficient to cover the reserve for retired employees and beneficiaries of deceased employees of the employer, the employer shall pay to the Employees' Retirement System the amount of the deficiency in a lump sum or, with the approval of the Board of Control, in installments over such period as the Board of Control may specify.
(d) Any liabilities created by these transfers shall be a continuing liability of the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama and shall be included in the regular valuation of the Teachers' Retirement System liabilities, and appropriations shall be made as determined in the teachers' retirement law governing such valuation and appropriation.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any employee who is transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama as provided in subsection (a) of this section shall be entitled to retire under said system prior to age 60 under the same conditions as provided by Section 36-27-18 with respect to members of the Employees' Retirement System of Alabama and subject to the percentage reductions in the retirement allowance as provided by said section. Any employee who is transferred to the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama as provided in subsection (a) of this section and who became a member of the Employees' Retirement System prior to October 1, 1965, shall be entitled to a minimum annual retirement allowance upon retirement under the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama of $72.00 multiplied by the number of years of his creditable service not in excess of 25 years, in the event of service retirement, or $54.00 multiplied by the number of years of his creditable service not in excess of 25 years, in the event of disability retirement.
(f) It being the intent and purpose of the section to transfer the accruing liabilities, as well as past-service liabilities to the Education Trust Fund for those employees eligible for transfer and enrollment under this section in the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama, no refunds to an employing unit shall be made in making such transfer.
Last modified: May 3, 2021